HELP REDBANKGREEN SERVE RED BANK FOR 100 YEARS

A reader flies the flag during redbankgreen’s recent 20th anniversary picnic at Marine Park. Photo by Brian Donohue. Click to enlarge.)

Sometimes I totally can’t believe it.

Since taking over as editor of redbankgreen two years ago, there have been multiple times when a story breaks out in Red Bank – maybe it’s an ICE arrest, a shooting, a tax increase, or a well-connected Red Bank developer being accused of running his partner over with a golf cart. I publish the piece and I can’t believe, there’s no other news outlet chasing the story in the days afterward.

Zilch. Nada. It’s shocking. It makes me feel like some modern version of Rip Van Winkle.

See, I came up in journalism in an era when local reporters spent every day looking over their shoulder at the fierce competition from other papers.

Monmouth County was a place where The Asbury Park Press kept a bureau with multiple reporters in Red Bank. The Star-Ledger and multiple other papers kept bureaus at the county courthouse in Freehold, with an eye on every lawsuit filed or tip whispered in the hallway.

That’s pretty much all gone now.

Many residents of neighboring towns, like millions of Americans, now live in “news deserts,” places with no local news outlet – or a “ghost paper” reduced to listicles, clickbait, or AI-generated content.

And it’s getting worse. The annual report on the state of local news by Northwestern University’s Medill Local News Initiative found newspapers have continued to shut down at the rate of three per week over the past year.

Tons of towns around here are in that same boat.

But not Red Bank.

No helicopter journalism here. We cover Red Bank with a skateboard and a news scooter.

Because for 20 years, redbankgreen has been here, covering every big and little thing that happens in this wonderful town.

Covering night meetings. Trudging through blizzards. Filming fun videos that reflect the vitality of this great place. And we plan to do it for many, many more. Publisher Kenny Katzgrau has committed to a goal of serving this town for 100 years, just like the old Red Bank Register newspaper did.

We do it because we love it and we love Red Bank.

We live here, we pay taxes here, and we believe deeply that strong local news coverage is a foundational part of what makes a healthy community.

And here’s what’s really amazing.

Due to its 20 years of success and publisher Katzgau’s digital ad server company Broadstreet, (which spun off from redbankgreen), our site has become a beacon for small local news outlets across the country – and, indeed, the world – building their own legacy of service.

We’re proving it can be done. And we’re showing the world how.

But we also need your help.

redbankgreen is not part of any network of news sites. It is not a nonprofit tax write-off.

It is supported by a mix of advertising revenue and donations.

That’s where you come in.

We are seeking to enlist readers as financial supporters, what we’re calling “Guardians of the Green.” We have set the goal of recruiting 100 Guardians over the next two months. Please, lend a hand.

To become a supporter, click the link below and choose your level of support.

You’ll have your name on our Guardians of the Green page, letting it be known that you are helping hold up this crucial pillar of our civic infrastructure.

And to those who are still contributing through our old voluntary donation system, we thank you once again.

You can cancel or change those contributions via this link, (our LLC is called “Mister Pine”) and re-up as a Guardian of the Green or just keep doing what you’re doing.

One hundred years. That’s the goal. We’ll keep doing our part to makes sure we get there. All we ask is that you do yours, too.

Do you value the news coverage provided by redbankgreen? Please consider becoming a financial supporter if you haven’t already. Click here to become a Guardian of the Green by setting your monthly or one-time contribution.

Editor Brian Donohue may be reached via email at [email protected] or by calling or texting 848-331-8331.redbankgreen editor Brian Donohue may be reached via email at [email protected] or by calling or texting 848-331-8331.